PITTSBURGH -- Two days before the start of mini camp, the Steelers made a roster move. On Wednesday, they cut long snapper Jared Retkofsky.

That means Friday on the first day of a mandatory three-day mini camp, the Steelers will have two long snappers on their roster.

One of them is Greg Warren, a fifth-year pro who's coming off a knee injury that forced him to miss the last nine games of the regular season last year and the three playoff games, including the Super Bowl.

The other is Mark Estermyer, an undrafted rookie who agreed to a free-agent contract Sunday night as Day 2 of the NFL Draft was ending. Estermyer is a graduate of Blackhawk High School who played at Pitt.

"I know those guys are on the roster," Estermyer said Sunday of Warren and Retkofsky. "But I really don't know how they're doing (physically). I'm just thankful for the opportunity. I can't wait to get started at mini camp."

Due to an elbow injury, Retkofsky missed both organized team activity workouts the Steelers held last week at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex. Retkofsky was present for those voluntary OTAs but couldn't practice because his right arm was in a sling. He was still recovering from an off-season motorcycle accident.

Warren, who's 6-foot-3 and 252 pounds, is due to make $650,000 this year

If Estermyer (6-1, 247) makes the team, he would probably be paid $310,000, the NFL minimum.

Not a big shocker here. Warren (hopefully) will come into camp healthy and ready to assume his position.

Retkofsky played his part in getting us trophy #6 and I thank him for his contribution and wish him the best. :drink:

trauben

04-30-2009, 07:46 AM

Never underestimate the importance of a good long snapper. :chuckle:

No kidding! I was at that Giants home game last year. That safety sucked!

55BaileyFan

04-30-2009, 07:52 AM

If we look at Pittsburgh history one thing is for sure they want to save money. If the rook can come in and hold his own then I wouldn't be shocked to see Warren cut. Pittsburgh needs to save money and that's an easy way to do it. Only if he can perform as well as Warren will it happen though.

atlsteelers

04-30-2009, 08:04 AM

Not a big shocker here. Warren (hopefully) will come into camp healthy and ready to assume his position.

Retkofsky played his part in getting us trophy #6 and I thank him for his contribution and wish him the best. :drink:

i bet you that if Retkofsky did not act like a fool and wreck his motorcycle that warren would be the player being cut. The steelers could have saved a few hundred thousand by keeping Retkofsky over Warren. Thats how Warren made the team over the last longsnapper that ended up at buffalo and later in a probowl game as a special teams player. I guess its back to moving furniture for Retkofsky once his arm heels. Talk about wasting a nice paycheck but at least he got a nice chunk of change and a superbowl ring out of it.

SteelersMongol

04-30-2009, 08:11 AM

...He was still recovering from an off-season motorcycle accident...

I don't like 2 hear the older & experienced guys getting cut. But the Steelers players MUST AVOID AT ALL COSTS to stay away from the damn motorcycles.

OneForTheToe

04-30-2009, 09:41 AM

The article is wrong. We actualy have three long snappers on the roster. The third one was just given a 50 million dollar contract.:thumbsup:

Steelman16

04-30-2009, 09:44 AM

Not surprising. James Harrison gave Steelers fans a whole new appreciation for longsnappers though. :chuckle:

SteelersinCA

04-30-2009, 09:51 AM

At least he got his ring.

oldschool

04-30-2009, 10:05 AM

The other is Mark Estermyer, an undrafted rookie who agreed to a free-agent contract Sunday night as Day 2 of the NFL Draft was ending. Estermyer is a graduate of Blackhawk High School who played at Pitt.

Lets hear it for Blackhawk High!, :tt02:that makes, at my count, two Steelers, from, "the old school", (pun intended.).:wink02::rofl:

SteelMember

04-30-2009, 10:29 AM

i bet you that if Retkofsky did not act like a fool and wreck his motorcycle that warren would be the player being cut. The steelers could have saved a few hundred thousand by keeping Retkofsky over Warren.

While the money savings is a definate, but I wouldn't go as far as to say he would have taken Warren's spot. He did a pretty decent job in a pinch, but usually after he made his snap, he got put on his a$$ more than a few times. You can't have the pressure comimg up the middle like that in kicking situations. He served his purpose and got to taste the Superbowl experience...something most players go an entire career without doing. :noidea:

Thanks dude!

Now, I said put the sofa near the window damn it! :chuckle:

:couch:

steelreserve

04-30-2009, 11:30 AM

Well, at least this offseason, it's our second-string long snapper getting into an idiot motorcycle accident instead of our franchise quarterback. I'll take that trade-off any day.

Dino 6 Rings

04-30-2009, 11:47 AM

Sign the PITT GUY!

El-Gonzo Jackson

04-30-2009, 11:59 AM

I feel bad for Retofsky. If he could have stayed healthy, he had a good chance of making the squad. That was a very expensive accident for him.

In the end, as long as all 3 can snap....the Steelers are fine. Lets not forget that Doug Legursky has been working on his long snapping as well.

lilyoder6

04-30-2009, 12:49 PM

well that is just shitty... oh well..

had fun knowing him and his fiance.. hope them well wherever they go to next

BIGBENFASTWILLIE

04-30-2009, 06:02 PM

Not surprising. James Harrison gave Steelers fans a whole new appreciation for longsnappers though. :chuckle:

Thts for sure..... hopfully out punter Sped.....is healthy....looks like he is.......

55BaileyFan

04-30-2009, 07:08 PM

Well if Sepulveda isn't healthy they just signed Dirk Johnson. At least it's not Mitch Berger or Paul Ernster.

Psyychoward86

04-30-2009, 09:40 PM

Back to the sofas for Retkofsky? Why do our longsnappers keep getting hurt? Guess we need some depth at that position. :chuckle:

PITTSBURGH - Last year, Jared Retkofsky went from making $15 per hour at a Fort Worth moving company to being the long snapper for the World Champion Steelers.

It was a Cinderella story of sorts, one that the national media seemed to flock to during the Super Bowl, not to mention the upbringing he had as a youth, which was a success story too.Restokpfsky ( 61) was cut by the Steelers on Sunday

Retkofsky found himself in the headlines again on Thursday, and this time it deals with moving again as he was released by the Steelers. It marks the third time in a year that he's been cut by the team.

The thing is Retkofsky was expected to compete for the starting longsnapper spot with Greg Warren who he replaced when Warren went down with an ACL tear. Instead an off-season incident with a motor cycle pretty much was the writing on the wall.

Retkofsky showed up to OTA's with his right arm in a sling following surgery that was needed after the accident. It prompted the team to have Warren handle snapping duties and also to sign former Pitt long snapper

Maybe he should have listened to the words of former Steeler head coach Bill Cowher, when talking about riding motorcycles prior to the Training Camp in 2005, when he was addressing the fact Ben Roethlisberger rode a motorcycle without a helmet.

"There are choices and consequences," Cowher said. “There is a lot of scrutiny and at times, there are some sacrifices that every player has to make, not just riding motorcycles, but with going out, where you go out and who you associate yourself with. Those decisions are very, very important because you have control over that but once you make the decision, it controls you."

A year later, Roethlisberger's motorcycle collided with a car on Second Avenue near the 10th Street Bridge in downtown Pittsburgh and he nearly lost his life.

Maybe he also forgot about Tampa tight end Kellen Winslow, who in a childish act wrecked his Suzuki GSX-R750 when he hit a parking-lot curb and was thrown from the motorcycle. He had no license for the bike and was doing wheelies.

If only Retkofsky would have listened to the words of Steeler Hall-of-Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw.

"Ride it when you retire. Those things are dangerous."

55BaileyFan

05-01-2009, 06:57 PM

He could have challenged for a spot over Warren and saved the Steelers a couple 100k.

wootawnee

05-01-2009, 07:15 PM

Hope he finds other work......Moving furnture again would be tough.....

55BaileyFan

05-01-2009, 08:26 PM

thats probably where he is heading for a while

bigjamesharrison2

05-02-2009, 06:45 PM

We seem to have a very bad record dealing with motorcycles...

redst3

05-03-2009, 03:48 AM

We seem to have a very bad record dealing with motorcycles...

I heard the Ravens were thinking about buying every Steeler a Harley as a gift.